The Last 10 Great Adventures

A journey that tested you to the limit, got your heart racing, made you feel alive?

A great adventure is all about risk, danger and excitement. Alas, in a world where “off the beaten track” is somewhere with two hotels and guided tours, where is the action really at?

I’m not talking about backpacking around Eastern Europe, or driving around Australia. I’m talking about REAL adventure, overlanding across entire continents and the world’s most hostile environments. Here are my last great adventures, journeys prescribed for only the ballsiest, suicidal nut jobs there is.

😉

TOP 3 JUNGLE JOURNEYS

1. Cross Papua New Guinea (by foot)

Papua New Guinea

Danger Rating : 3.5/5

Your mission: With no road connecting one side of PNG to the other, you have two choices: Fly or Walk. Do a survival course, choose you route and take a chance. PNG one of the least westernised and explored countries in the world. With over 600 languages, hostile tribes and rumors of cannibalism, a trek in the jungle here is no picnic. I plan to walk from Port Moresby to Lae some day.

Highlights: Incredible scenery, party in the cities, bragging rights.

WARNINGS: Malaria, starvation, cannibals and hostile tribes.

😉

2. The Deep Amazon

The Amazon Rainforest

Danger Rating : 4/5

Your mission: Get from Peru to Manuas in Brazil. That’s where the action is – the border area boasts unexplored jungle, isolated tribes and treacherous river journeys. You’ll be entering Brazil illegally -but who cares? Build yourself a raft just go with the flow. It will be awhile until you reach civilization so bring provisions and take a survival course. Good luck!

3. Navigating the Congo River

The Congo

Danger Rating : 5/5

Your mission: Come back alive. The Congo is a shit storm of violence, rape and tribal wars. Unknown species, constant payouts and more danger than you can handle awaits. Enter from Uganda, avoid getting shot in Kivu and join the river all the way to the capital. Our trip to Kivu was the biggest rush of my life.

Highlights: Stories to last a life time, blood diamonds, horny Congo chicks.

WARNINGS: LOTS! Kivu is a red zone. Travel “permits” are needed for certain areas. Being killed, robbed or arrested are real possibilities. Bring a lot of cash for bribes.

😉

5 EXTREME OVERLAND TRIPS

4. Panamericana

Alaska to Argentina

Danger Rating : 2 /5

Your mission: Cross North and South America from top to Bottom. This is the ultimate road trip.

Highlights: Latin women, diverse terrain and bragging rights.

WARNINGS: Panama to Colombia requires you take a ferry.

😉

5. Cairo to Cape Town

Cairo 2 Cape (recommended)

Danger Rating : 3.5 /5 (4.5 with a nip into Somalia and Congo)

Your mission: Travel the entire African continent overland from top to bottom. I’ve tried this one – strongly recommended.

Highlights: Too many to name. The Nubian pyramids in Sudan, Ethiopian women and bungee jumping over Vic falls are serious highlights! Finish with a dive with great whites in Cape Town.

7. Senegal to Somalia (Trans-Sahara)

Trans-African roads

Danger Rating : 4.5 /5

Your mission: Get from the Atlantic to the Indian ocean via Central Africa. It can be done, but avoiding conflict is not an option. Start off in Senegal and head into Mali, Niger & Chad. Bureaucracy will be nightmare for Sudan, but the south may be accessible via the Central African Republic. You will need to bribe the North Sudanese as you have no “travel permit”. We had none when travelling to some areas, but avoided jail. Finish in Somaliland for good measure.

Highlights: You get to visit some of the least visited places in the world. The Sahara awaits…

WARNINGS: You will be in bandit country and active war zones.

😉

8. The Southern Silk Road

Danger Rating : 4.5 /5

Your mission: Get from Istanbul, Turkey to Xian, China. Take the Southern silk route, this route features Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Throw in northern Iraq for extra thrills.

Note: The Khyber pass is currently closed. Get out of Afghanistan via Tajikistan and gain entry to China that way.

Highlights: Smoking Opium in an Afghan poppy field, growing a beard.

WARNINGS: Terrorism, kidnapping, warzones and no beer.

😉

EARTH’S EXTREMES

9. The Poles

North and South Poles

Danger Rating : na

Your mission: Save up a shit load of money.

The north pole won’t be around for long so I’d hurry. The Pole can only be reached on expeditions specifically mounted for the purpose. Make your way Svalbard, Norway. It can be reached by a combination of air/water transport and then skiing the rest of the way. Your looking at €10,000 -€13,000 🙁

Regarding the South Pole: Covering the full 1170km from coast to Pole involves an estimated 65 days of skiing, for about 7-9 hours a day, hauling a sled weighing 110-130 lbs (50-60 kg), and the price for the privilege is US$59,000. Alternatively, you can cheat and fly halfway there with the “Ski the Last Degree” package, in which case you’ll ski for only about two weeks and pay a mere US$38,500.

I managed to get to Antarctica pretty cheap. Head to Ushuaia in Argentina.

Highlights: Life time achievement, iceberg safari.

WARNINGS: Froze-bite, waking up 3,000 in the future being ruled by an alien race.

😉

10. Mt. Everest

Let’s get high

Danger Rating : 4.5 /5

Your mission: Climb the highest mountain in the world – no biggy. You need about three years to train with no experience. Most trips start in Kathmandu, Nepal. Go in May. A low-budget attempt at the summit will still set up back $25,000 ($10,000 for the permit).

Highlights: You came, you saw, you conquered. With that incredible view comes the title of “Legend”. You will the talk of every party, men will admire you and women will desire you.

WARNINGS: Over 200 people have died trying this, you could be one of them! At least you went out in style.

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Got any other ones?

Leave a comment!

About Mark Zolo

Mark Zolo is a hardcore adventurer and travel writer. He has been to over 90 countries, including Antarctica and a few self proclaimed republics—and a few war zones dressed as a Mexican pirate.

We did Cairo to Cape Town in 3 months relatively comfortably.
Casablanca to Cape town would take longer (3-6 months), depending on what countries you wanted to visit.
€1000 a month is pretty solid to have a good time in Africa ;

Cheap flights: Thompson fly London to the Gambia in low season for just £105!
Ryanair are great for Morocco and BA’s low fare finder is great for cheap flights to other African countries.

you should write a special on your africa trip about coping with the dangers of diseases, lack of higiene, bad food, corruption, violence… africa is a differrent world. what to take on the trip. caveats, tricks… did you have to bribe a lot?

Okay. I just stumbled on your blog and I just cant stop reading it. I have traveled to just 12 countries. I am fucking desperate to go further and roam a bit, but coming from one of the poor countries – i do not have enough money. So, My question to you is. How do you manage the money.

But how do you travel this much and afford it? how do you hold down a job and travel this much? and i read somewhere your still in university? just curious, wouldnt mind living this life at all (well i may not venture to the congo!)

man… you got a hell of a travel resume… its really too much for your age, do you only do a few days in these locations then off to the next place? how much time per year are you traveling????? i am impressed regardless!

Why don’t you try the magalães route across the globe? leave Portugal, sail to southern Argentina, sail to the Philipines, the sail the rest of the way along the south asian shore, stopping by every 1 or 2 days to taste the local meat, then back to portugal again through the mediterranean

I gotta say when I first came across this site, like many people I thought “this guy is too good to be true”. You should really do an article with a detailed breakdown of how you plan these trips – especially regarding the financial aspect of it. I don’t get how someone who’s going thru university can live this out unless he has a whackload of trust fund cash.

Also, when you visit developing countries, do you mostly stay within tourist areas or go completely “out there” – how real is the risk factor? I noticed is that there isn’t any video of you on this site (or I haven’t seen it yet), it would be great if you could make like a vlog or something of one of your tours.

A vlog is in the pipeline. If you have any doubts about my trips let me know and I can provide pics if you’d like. I pride myself not bullshitting. I’ve only done Cairo to Cape Town and been to Antartica. I’m doing the Silk road trip 2013.

^I didn’t mean that I’m doubting your trips, but I’d love to see some pics of the lovelies you banged in the Middle East if that’s possible – kind of an unreasonable request, I know, if I was banging an exotic hottie the last thing on my mind would be taking pics of her, but your readers would be very VERY thankful if you could do so, trust me

Also, please do an article about financial planning of your trips – how much do you need to earn to sustain this kind of a lifestyle (especially in your 20s)? And could you also please answer the rest of my question – how “far out” do you venture in developing countries and how seriously do you take the risk factor there?

Wow, these are quite a trails! The craziest thing I did was hitch-hiking from Montevideo to Salvador in Brazil – something like 3500 km, by my thumb. I absolutely loved it, and your website keeps reminding me how awesome it is to travel!

Next on my list of crazy trips is Cancun -> Rio de Janeiro. Wish me luck!

Hi NN, i am heading to SE Asia in november for a couple of months and then really want to head to africa. Your cairo – capetown trail looks like just the thing. once i get to cairo, you reckon ~$1000 Euro per month for a 3 month trip along the trail would be doable?

The only thing I would like to add is in you’re Pan-American section you mentioned going by ferry. That’s not the only option.

For example I took a trip on a small (very small) boat and hopped through the San Blas’ Islands until I reached Colombia by boat. It was very interesting to see a group of people independent of the rest of the world, who are very poor, and yet extremely happy.

You can also go the “extreme route” and walk the Darien Gap. Now since this is a post about extreme travel I thought I would mention it. Normally I wouldn’t. I am doing this trip myself next year. It is, in my humble opinion, the 2nd most dangerous trip you can possibly do with the exception of Afghanistan perhaps, which I’ve done and made it without a scratch.

Also, do you have a place where I can send you an email regarding some travel plans? I would like your input.

Randy

P.S. Keep doing what you do, ignore the haters, and keep living life like a fucking man. Just discovered your site and as someone who has been around a little bit (and is still traveling at the moment) this shit speaks to me. Great stuff.

I would like to go from Ethiopia to Cape Town (leaving out Somalia). I definitely wanna see Ngorongoro; do safari in Zambia and do bungee jumping somewhere. I would take my time. How much money do you reckon this would be low budget for one person?

Is the cheapest way getting to Antarctica going to Ushaia and look for a last minute? Is there enough gear you can rent there? I see on the net there are cruises available between 5000 – 6000 euro for a classic peninsula experience. How much would you be looking at (all included) for a last minute in Ushaia?

Climbing Everest is for pussies, real men climb either K2 or Annapurna, you have about a 25% chance of dying while climbing the former, and a 33-50% chance of dying on the latter. Everest only has a meager fatality rate of <10% ….

Nowadays there are ‘comfortable’ boats from Kisangani to Kinshasa. Kisangani is as far up as it goes. You can do it in around two weeks. Besides being boring at times it’s not that dangerous. If you want to do it the dangerous way you go on a cargo boat which is overloaded and full with diseases, etc.

I don’t know if I really want to do it, looks pretty long. I’m most likely going to PNG next year. Wanna meet up?

Hi, i sailed on Congo river from Soyo Angola to Matadi Congo several times aboard some merchant navy ships.
Amazing experience of jungle and cool fishermen giving us fresh seafood in exchange of used materials and clothes 😉
Cheers

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